Due to the diminutive matter of Anthony Joshua fighting Jake Paul on the same weekend, two boxing events this week may slip under the radar, but they really shouldn’t.
On Saturday in Accra, Ghana, Matchroom will host its first-ever event in Africa, with Craig Richards taking on Dan Azeez in a British lithe heavyweight bout. The next evening, about 250 miles away in Lagos, Nigeria, Queensberry-promoted British heavyweight Lawrence Okolie headlines a fight with Ebenezer Tetteh.
Not only are these two intriguing cards, but these events could usher in an era of African boxing as a fresh major market for the sport as two of Britain’s biggest promoters look to establish themselves on the continent.
Over the summer, Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith and Freddie Cunningham, Anthony Joshua’s manager, went on a fact-finding mission to Accra, assessing the possibilities and practicalities of the former two-time heavyweight champion fighting there in the future.
While it won’t happen this year, Joshua 258mgt, of which Cunningham is also managing director, will lend a hand co-promote the program in Ghana. Smith says it’s an critical moment for everyone involved.
“We want to grow this sport around the world,” Smith told ESPN. “We want to take part in these events around the world. Our goal is to enter fresh markets with partners we trust and believe in. On December 20, we will host 17,000 people there. There will be a great atmosphere.
“It’s the kind of night you look back on.”
Fighters and promoters have long talked about moving fights to Africa, but with little action.
In the past, the continent has hosted iconic events, of course, but also smaller shows. For example, former world champion Amir Khan promoted fights there. But the real statement of intent comes from Matchroom and Queensberry, which have moved their businesses there, and there are substantial national names on the bill.
“This isn’t just a one-time thing,” Smith says. “It’s about a long-term partnership to try and build boxing in Ghana and then also look around Africa and see what more we can do.”
The ultimate crown jewel would be to see Joshua – who has a tattoo of the African continent on his arm and Nigerian heritage – fighting in Ghana or Nigeria.
Although time will tell whether this will happen, his company’s co-promotion of the event in Accra shows that there is real interest in developing the sport in these countries. It is also critical that the Queensberry and Matchroom evenings are a commercial and logistical success. Anything less could mean the end of Joshua’s dream and other great nights.
It’s surprising, then, that it took a lot of work to get to this stage.
“A lot of back and forth, a lot of hours, a lot of misunderstandings,” Ade Joshua, one of the organizers of the program in Ghana, told ESPN. “When you try to do something of this magnitude, it’s never going to be straightforward.
“But I think the most critical thing is that when you talk to like-minded people and you have a common goal, you eventually get there.
“I think Africa in general, not just in boxing but in a lot of sports, can get overlooked and overlooked, I just feel like the fresh generation is leading everything, whether it’s sports, music, fashion… Whatever it is.
For fighters of African descent, the excitement is palpable.
Okolie was born in London, but his parents are Nigerian. As soon as he received the news that fight night would be held in Lagos this year, he made it clear that he wanted to be there.
The former cruiserweight world champion turned heavyweight contender will headline the December 21 event. This is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime moment that he doesn’t take for granted, whether for personal or professional reasons.
The demand for tickets and interest from his extended family, many of whom had not seen him fight in person, was overwhelming.
“My dad bombs me because people do that [saying]: ‘Where are the tickets? What’s going on? He said, Man, we need it [bus]we needed this, we need that, because this is going to be a great opportunity,” Okolie says.
Okolie explains that the promoters’ faith was a game changer. He previously played for Matchroom and had wanted to fight in Nigeria for years.
“I have [social media] posts where I ask Eddie [Hearn] in 2017 and interviews, but either the infrastructure wasn’t there or the promoters in England didn’t really support it or believe it.
“I just wanted an opportunity to showcase a little bit of what I do in Nigeria, that’s all. I just talked to the promoters and said, ‘Let’s do it,’ and we did. Luckily, Queensberry supported it and now we’re here.”
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